Tag Archives: Raymond Bower

A Pin Broke (Gladys)

Letter transcriptions:

Kentland Ind.
2-15-44

Dear Daddy –

Yours of Feb. 3 & 4 came yesterday & Mark birthday letter too. Son John has been using this (my) pen and it feels like it is about past its useful days. I don’t know whether I can straighten it or not.

We had some furnace trouble today. A pin broke. Mr. Monroe came to fix it and we had to take all the fire out of the furnace to get down to the retort. I finally had to quit and come upstairs to take care of D. I sent John down and in a few minutes it was fixed and John got

[page 2] the fire started again. Yesterday we got more coal but the coal room door was left open – the coal wasn’t dampened – and as I have told you before no coal is oil treated this year – well the furnace room floor and most of the rest of the basement was black and I mean jet black. I went down tonight and cleaned up some of it. Had to – it tracks upstairs and there is enough dirt from the furnace without dragging it up from the basement floor. I had just given the house a pretty thorough cleaning before the coal was delivered – I just finished washing the kitchen and last week washed & ironed the slip covers. I feel like I need to go over every

[page 3] inch of the house with the sweeper.

The roads being impossible in some places yet today, there was no school so I left D. with J. & M. and attended Literary club. Mrs. Ade read the play, “Tomorrow the World.” I heard a sketch from that play on the Quiz Kids Sunday evening. One of the current Quiz Kids is an actress in “Tomorrow the World.”

I saw Dr. Dinwiddie’s wife today (you know he is a dentist from Lowell – Mrs. D. is Bill Strole’s daughter). He is across now and she is living here with Stroles. Dr. D. was at Ft. Leonard Wood for more than a year before he was sent out.

Raymond Bower is home again on leave. He gets back quite often – but I suppose every time

[page 4] he gets back from a voyage he gets a leave. I asked him why he didn’t go to N.Z. and bring you home. Silly question, but makes conversation.

I heard that Red Parr got his greeting from the Draft Board and someone else from the P.O. I suppose Clarence Lucas.

I am enclosing two snow scenes so you can get an idea about how the snow drifted and what a heavy snow from the way the evergreens look. It is warmer now and if it keeps on like this our snow will be a slush. The streets downtown are terrible and boys all over the place with sleds trying to get run over. Someone hooked a sled on our car. I slowly stopped the car, opened the door and said in no kind or uncertain terms “get off and stay off.”

Love – Mother

YEG1944-02 - Mark in snow

©2015 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/12/09/a-pin-broke-gladys/

Mail Received (Roscoe)

Letter transcription:

Lieut R.S. Yegerlehner USNR
Navy 60 F.P.O. San Fran Calif
June 2, 1943

Dear Mother,

Your letters of June 8, 9, 10 & 11 came today so there is lots to write about and as I said in yesterday’s letter the mail is always a good & welcome topic to write about. So far I’ve just read them once but will reread again later. In one of those letters you mentioned that you had received the travel check so that won’t have to be written of in any future letters. The $100 letter will probably be coming along later. I’ll send you the number, date of issue, etc. if it doesn’t come thru and we can get another. I think it is a good idea for John to drop his band during the summer (swing band) because too much is too much. I’m

[page 2] writing this on my knee out in the yard as the boy is giving the tent the usual morning cleaning.

Was that a battle Raymond Bower had been in or several? He left the states just about the same time I went to Norfolk. It also looks like Jim might be getting ready to do something from the way you wrote of his activity. I’ve received several notes from Joe R. and at present he is I think about 60 miles from me in an Easterly direction. That is only a supposition however and I believe Hicky is in that neighborhood also. I think I’ve probably written all that before.

A three page news bulletin came

[page 3] from the Home hospital. It came in the form of 3 v-mails. They were dated June 1. So you see v-mail is still slower by several days.

That business of Grandma carrying D. downstairs sorta gave me a little scare – There is no banister there and it might be a little dangerous. Maybe you could have one put in if the pocket book is sufficiently padded. That’s just an idea – Maybe D. will be able to walk up and down by himself and the problem will be solved and a banister would also help him. Do what you think best –

It would be trite for me to say I enjoy your letters because they are chucked full of things I like to hear – So when I write of my own being poor I don’t want

[page 4] you to get the idea I’m casting any reflections.

I saw by that Home Hospital news bulletin that Dr. Combs was still at Greencastle Indiana – That must be very rugged duty and to think he has had to suffer for nearly a year if my recollection is correct. I did notice that several of the Drs. had % addresses so they are scattered somewhat.

Took a trip this A.M. before breakfast – Just a sight seeing trip and was there a beautiful sun peeping up out of the sea! That made breakfast late and then your mail came and that made me late in getting this written – Hoping you are the same

Love Daddy

Russell Islands  Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

Russell Islands
Image by Kelisi at Wikipedia.com (Wikipedia Commons license)

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/09/02/mail-received-roscoe/

Piano Recital (Gladys)

Letter transcription:

Kentland Ind
June 11 – 1943

Dear Daddy –

Rec’d yours of May 26 – the $32.⁶⁰ ck. came yesterday, but as yet the $100⁰⁰ is still en route. I am enclosing a program of the Piano Recital given last night. You will note John’s three numbers. If you want to show it to anyone you might casually mention that John is playing the same grade music the three high-school girls play – (Helen Hoover, Barbara McCartney & Mary E. Arnold). John has decided to discontinue in the swing band. I am glad he decided that for himself because I was afraid I would have to. They want to practice too late at night – and they will probably go some places to play I wouldn’t approve of. Buddy just arrived – he has been here every day except Sunday for a week. John and Mark are

[page 2] washing dishes and Mark is giving a demonstration of what the different kinds of machine guns, etc., sound like. Mark went to baking class today. He said they are having a farewell party for Mrs. Rupp – she is getting married – so that means another teacher for next year – there will be several changes.

The mosquitoes have been bad already and we are warned in the paper this week they are to be worse – There has been so much rain and it keeps raining. According to today’s Newton Co. E. the farmers around here haven’t all their corn planted. This field directly north of us has had so much water standing on it they haven’t got it ready yet for planting. They had two tractors going on it yesterday but the rain started before noon so they had to stop, but were at work again this morning. John and I are of the opinion they are ruining

[page 3] the ground by repeating corn crops there (as if it’s any our business) and were hoping they would either change crops or put nothing in. We have to turn in the front license plates for scrap. We now have last year’s rear with the small plate issued this year fastened on. Mother had a letter from Jim – He is in Primary Training now, which will end July 1 – then advanced training, then a 10 day leave – when he intends coming home – Then I suppose Thelma will go back to T. H. to live because he thinks he will be shipped out. He has all new uniforms now – C.P.O.

I am trying to concentrate on writing and all the family are here in the living room plus Buddy – so it’s a little hard to think and keep my mind off what is going on.

David is in his buggy. Took a nap out in buggy but we had to bring him in when we had lunch. He woke up just a few minutes ago. Mark is playing with him now and D. is pulling his hair –

[page 4] He thinks it’s funny now but I tell him it won’t be when David gets older. It is getting near D.’s 2 P.M. feeding – which will be of potatoes, peas, carrots & apple sauce & milk. He doesn’t care for potatoes alone so I mix them with anything else I have. I still give him Vit. C. Tablets – the last time I gave him orange juice it bounced right back up. As old as he is (8 ½ mo.), I should think he could keep orange juice down. I give him apple sauce or peaches or apricot & apple sauce combined and he keeps any of them down. He likes either peas or carrots or asparagus but gags at beets. I can’t feed him spinach or prunes. His bowels are inclined to be loose so have to be careful what I feed him. Cream of Wheat also has a tendency to make his bowels too loose, so he gets Gerbers wheat cereal, Pablum or Pabena (Mead’s oatmeal cereal).

Mark and Buddy have taken D. out for a ride – until time for him to eat. Raymond Bower is home but I haven’t seen him – Dorothy was telling me he has been around a lot – his ship was in a battle.

Love – Mother

YEG1943-06 Dunlop Street house

Yegerlehner home, E. Dunlop Street, Kentland, Indiana, June 1943

©2014 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2014/08/03/piano-recital-gladys/